Roll Call for the week of Dec. 16

Published: Friday, December 13, 2013 at 2:37 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, December 13, 2013 at 2:37 p.m.

Here’s how North Carolina members of Congress voted on major issues in the week ending Dec. 13.

House

TWO-YEAR BUDGET DEAL: Voting 332 for and 94 against, the House on Dec. 12 approved a two-year budget deal that would enable Congress to operate through September 2015 without real or threatened government shutdowns or lurches from one stopgap budget to the next. The measure (HJ Res 59) would soften the impact of sequestration on defense readiness and critical domestic programs; raise a variety of taxes and fees by $7 billion over 10 years; reduce deficit spending by $23 billion over 10 years; slightly raise discretionary spending to an average of $1.013 trillion per year in fiscal 2014-2015 and avert cuts in Medicare payments to doctors.

Among its revenue provisions, the bill would raise pension contributions by newly hired federal employees; trim certain payments to Medicare providers; raise airline ticket fees; curb cost-of-living increases for military pensioners holding civilian jobs; increase fees paid by corporations to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation and require states to pay a larger share of the cost of managing mineral leases on federal land.

A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate, where speedy approval is expected.

EXTENDED JOBLESS BENEFITS: On a procedural vote of 227 for and 195 against, the House on Dec. 12 blocked a bid by Democrats for a direct vote on their amendment to provide three more months of unemployment checks for 1.3 million of the long-term jobless whose current allotment of extended benefits will expire Dec. 28. Democrats forced this vote after the Republican leadership refused to include the extension in a two-year budget agreement (HJ Res 59, above). The $6 billion cost of the extended benefits was to have been offset by cuts in farm subsidies.

2014 MILITARY BUDGET: Voting 350 for and 69 against, the House on Dec. 12 approved a bill (HR 3304) to authorize a $625.1 billion military budget for fiscal 2014, including $80.7 billion for actions in Afghanistan, Iraq and other war zones; up to $60 billion for active-duty and retirement healthcare; $17.8 billion for nuclear-weapons programs run by the Department of Energy; $10 billion for the U.S. Special Operations Command and $9.3 billion for space- and land-based missile defenses. The bill funds a 1 percent military pay raise, bars higher copayments or enrollment fees in the military healthcare system and sets active-duty end-strengths of 520,000 for the Army, 327,600 for the Air Force, 323,600 for the Navy and 190,200 for the Marine Corps.

The bill keeps the handling of sexual assault cases within the chain of command where they occur but ends commanders’ authority to dismiss the findings of a court martial. The bill establishes a special counsel to help survivors of sexual assaults navigate the military legal system and makes it a crime under the Uniform Code of Military Justice to retaliate against those who report sexual assaults.

A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate, where quick passage was expected.

Senate

MELVIN WATT CONFIRMATION: Voting 57 for and 41 against, the Senate Dec. 10 confirmed the nomination of Melvin L. Watt, 68, a Democratic congressman from North Carolina, to a five-year term as director the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). The agency is the lead regulator of housing markets, overseeing Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the Federal Home Loan Banks and other players in America’s secondary mortgage market. It was established in 2008 in the throes of the U.S. housing meltdown.

A yes vote was to confirm Watt.

Voting yes: Democrat Kay Hagan and Republican Richard Burr

PATRICIA MILLETT CONFIRMATION: Voting 56 for and 38 against, the Senate on Dec. 10 confirmed Patricia Ann Millett as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Millett, 50, worked most recently in private practice, and before that she was an assistant solicitor general in Democratic and Republican administrations. She became the first judge confirmed under new Senate rules that set a simple-majority vote as the standard for advancing presidential nominees other than Supreme Court selections.

A yes vote was to confirm Millett.

Voting yes: Hagan

Voting no: Burr

CORNELIA PILLARD CONFIRMATION: Voting 51 for and 44 against, the Senate on Dec. 12 confirmed Cornelia T. L. Pillard, 52, to sit on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. A Georgetown University law professor, Pillard held high Justice Department positions in the administrations of presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

A yes vote was to confirm Pillard.

Voting yes: Hagan

Voting no: Burr

A look ahead

In the week of Dec. 16, the Senate will vote on a two-year budget deal, the 2014 defense budget and presidential nominees. The House is in recess until the Second Session of the 113th Congress begins Jan. 6.

<p>Here's how North Carolina members of Congress voted on major issues in the week ending Dec. 13.</p><!-- Nothing to do. The paragraph has already been output --><h3>House</h3>
<p>TWO-YEAR BUDGET DEAL: Voting 332 for and 94 against, the House on Dec. 12 approved a two-year budget deal that would enable Congress to operate through September 2015 without real or threatened government shutdowns or lurches from one stopgap budget to the next. The measure (HJ Res 59) would soften the impact of sequestration on defense readiness and critical domestic programs; raise a variety of taxes and fees by $7 billion over 10 years; reduce deficit spending by $23 billion over 10 years; slightly raise discretionary spending to an average of $1.013 trillion per year in fiscal 2014-2015 and avert cuts in Medicare payments to doctors.</p><p>Among its revenue provisions, the bill would raise pension contributions by newly hired federal employees; trim certain payments to Medicare providers; raise airline ticket fees; curb cost-of-living increases for military pensioners holding civilian jobs; increase fees paid by corporations to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation and require states to pay a larger share of the cost of managing mineral leases on federal land.</p><p>A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate, where speedy approval is expected.</p><p>Voting yes: Democrats G.K. Butterfield and David Price, and Republicans Renee Ellmers, Virginia Foxx, Howard Coble, Richard Hudson, Robert Pittenger and Patrick McHenry</p><p>Voting no: Democrats Mike McIntyre and Melvin Watt, and Republicans Walter Jones, Mark Meadows and George Holding</p><p>EXTENDED JOBLESS BENEFITS: On a procedural vote of 227 for and 195 against, the House on Dec. 12 blocked a bid by Democrats for a direct vote on their amendment to provide three more months of unemployment checks for 1.3 million of the long-term jobless whose current allotment of extended benefits will expire Dec. 28. Democrats forced this vote after the Republican leadership refused to include the extension in a two-year budget agreement (HJ Res 59, above). The $6 billion cost of the extended benefits was to have been offset by cuts in farm subsidies.</p><p>A yes vote opposed the bid for extended jobless benefits.</p><p>Voting yes: Ellmers, Jones, Foxx, Coble, Hudson, Pittenger, McHenry, Meadows, Holding</p><p>Voting no: Butterfield, Price, McIntyre, Watt</p><p>2014 MILITARY BUDGET: Voting 350 for and 69 against, the House on Dec. 12 approved a bill (HR 3304) to authorize a $625.1 billion military budget for fiscal 2014, including $80.7 billion for actions in Afghanistan, Iraq and other war zones; up to $60 billion for active-duty and retirement healthcare; $17.8 billion for nuclear-weapons programs run by the Department of Energy; $10 billion for the U.S. Special Operations Command and $9.3 billion for space- and land-based missile defenses. The bill funds a 1 percent military pay raise, bars higher copayments or enrollment fees in the military healthcare system and sets active-duty end-strengths of 520,000 for the Army, 327,600 for the Air Force, 323,600 for the Navy and 190,200 for the Marine Corps.</p><p>The bill keeps the handling of sexual assault cases within the chain of command where they occur but ends commanders' authority to dismiss the findings of a court martial. The bill establishes a special counsel to help survivors of sexual assaults navigate the military legal system and makes it a crime under the Uniform Code of Military Justice to retaliate against those who report sexual assaults.</p><p>A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate, where quick passage was expected.</p><p>Voting yes: Butterfield, Ellmers, Price, Foxx, Coble, McIntyre, Hudson, Pittenger, McHenry, Meadows, Holding</p><p>Voting no: Jones, Watt</p><h3>Senate</h3>
<p>MELVIN WATT CONFIRMATION: Voting 57 for and 41 against, the Senate Dec. 10 confirmed the nomination of Melvin L. Watt, 68, a Democratic congressman from North Carolina, to a five-year term as director the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). The agency is the lead regulator of housing markets, overseeing Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the Federal Home Loan Banks and other players in America's secondary mortgage market. It was established in 2008 in the throes of the U.S. housing meltdown.</p><p>A yes vote was to confirm Watt.</p><p>Voting yes: Democrat Kay Hagan and Republican Richard Burr</p><p>PATRICIA MILLETT CONFIRMATION: Voting 56 for and 38 against, the Senate on Dec. 10 confirmed Patricia Ann Millett as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Millett, 50, worked most recently in private practice, and before that she was an assistant solicitor general in Democratic and Republican administrations. She became the first judge confirmed under new Senate rules that set a simple-majority vote as the standard for advancing presidential nominees other than Supreme Court selections.</p><p>A yes vote was to confirm Millett.</p><p>Voting yes: Hagan</p><p>Voting no: Burr</p><p>CORNELIA PILLARD CONFIRMATION: Voting 51 for and 44 against, the Senate on Dec. 12 confirmed Cornelia T. L. Pillard, 52, to sit on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. A Georgetown University law professor, Pillard held high Justice Department positions in the administrations of presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.</p><p>A yes vote was to confirm Pillard.</p><p>Voting yes: Hagan</p><p>Voting no: Burr</p><h3>A look ahead</h3>
<p>In the week of Dec. 16, the Senate will vote on a two-year budget deal, the 2014 defense budget and presidential nominees. The House is in recess until the Second Session of the 113th Congress begins Jan. 6.</p>